The reigning Olympic champion U.S. women’s volleyball team outlasted Brazil in the semifinals in Paris on Aug. 8, winning in a five-set thriller.
Kathryn Plummer led the United States with 26 points, while Avery Skinner scored 19 and Andrea Drews added 18.
The Americans play the winner between Turkey and Italy for the gold medal.
Brazilian middle blocker Thaísa Menezes, who returned to the national team in 2023 after five years away, is the most experienced member of the roster and led the team with 24 points. She was playing in her fourth Olympic Games after winning gold in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and finishing fifth in Rio 2016.
The match was a rematch of the gold medal battle at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, won by Team USA in straight sets.
This time, the United States jumped out to a 5–0 lead in the first set. However, Brazil settled down and tied the set 12–12 on a block point by Menezes. The Americans finished strong and won the set 25–23 on an attack point by Plummer.
In the second set, the Brazilians started quickly, with a 7–4 lead on a point by Rosamaria Montibeller. The United States tied the game 8–8 on a powerful shot by Chiaka Ogbogu. Brazil then went on a run and pulled away for a 25–18 win on a point by Menezes, evening the match at one set apiece.
The Americans took control of the third set with a 10–4 lead, continued to pull away, and were not threatened in the 25–15 win. Skinner scored the final point for the United States.
Brazil played with a sense of urgency and was sparked by 3 points by Gabi Guimarães to take a 7–6 lead. The rest of the set was closely contested as neither team could separate itself. However, the Brazilians showed resilience and earned the 25–23 win, setting up the finale.
Brazil carried the momentum with an early lead, but the Americans stormed back and took a 10–8 lead on a point by Skinner. The Americans continued to stay in control and won the match 15–11.
The United States team was riding a three-game winning streak to reach the semifinal round after a 3–2 loss to China (25–20, 25–19, 17–25, 20–25, 15–13) in its first game. Those wins include a 3–0 shutout win over France (29–27, 29–27, 25–20).
The United States reached its fifth consecutive Olympic semifinal berth with a 3–0 victory over Poland (25–22, 25–14, 25–20) in the quarterfinals.
Brazil has been dominant in this summer’s Olympics and has not lost a set, including a 3–0 victory over the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinal round. The Brazilians dominated in that first matchup of the knockout portion of the Olympics, taking the three sets 25–22, 25–13, and 25–17.
The United States has won medals in the previous four Games—gold in 2021, silver in 2008 and 2012, and bronze in 2016.
U.S. Women’s Head Coach Karch Kiraly tweaked the starting lineup against Serbia during pool play and placed Plummer and Skinner at the outsides. The changes paid dividends as the Americans will play for another gold medal.
